Written assignments

Better essays: signposting

An essay can be thought of as a kind of journey from the introduction to the conclusion. In this analogy you, as the essay writer, are the driver, and your readers are passengers on your journey. Have you ever, as a passenger, slept for much of a journey, and only woken up occasionally? If so, you will know how disorientating it can be: upon waking you tend to think Where are we? and How did we get here? This is exactly the feeling that tutors have when reading some essays not because they have fallen asleep (well, not often), but because the writer has not clearly signposted the essay.

What is signposting?
In the context of essays, signposting means using words to tell your reader about the content of your essay, rather than just telling them the content itself. This is done to help the reader understand as clearly as possible. Here are some (real) examples:
What the writer wrote: in order to explain and understand the causes of this offence, it would be useful to apply the criminological theories There are several ways in which the new style shopping centres seem attractive. Another issue close to the heart of the feminist is This essay explores theoretical and practical approaches to communication. How it helps the reader: The reader realises in advance that the writer is going to be using some theories to explain a criminal offence. The reader knows that at least two elements of the attractiveness are about to be discussed. This reminds the reader that one such issue has already been written about, and another is about to be revealed. Straight away, and in advance, the reader knows that the writer will be covering two ways of thinking about communication.

See why this is called signposting? It is like the driver telling you about the journey as you travel.

Two kinds of signposting?

There are perhaps two kinds of signposting used in essays: Small-scale signposting where the writer uses frequent single words or short phrases to guide the reader. Examples of small-scale signposting are single words such as However, Furthermore and Finally, and phrases such as By contrast and In conclusion. Large-scale signposting where the writer uses longer phrases or whole sentences to indicate where we are in the essay, and where we have been and are going. An example might be Having discussed the reliability of the research, this report will next address its validity The rest of this handout is about large-scale signposting.

Large-scale signposting a few possible ways to do it

Note that the following provides just a small range of suggestions. The precise words used will of course vary for any individual assignment. You must be certain about the meaning of the verbs you use in your signposting, of course do not use a word just because it appears here! In introductions:

This essay will [first]

outline examine address demonstrate argue focus on

and will [then] [attempt to]

ascertain establish clarify show judge prove

It is often helpful to quantify (put a number to) what the essay will be doing. For example:
This essay will address three aspects of

You might also signpost how the essay is going to do these things. For example:

This essay will, by

describing... reviewing... evaluating...

attempt to demonstrate that

In the body of an essay (sentences like these would normally begin a paragraph):
Having established..., this essay will now next consider...

In addition to..., As well as...,

x, y

must be should be needs to be

established.

... is

one an important the key

issue that has to be considered.

Another A second Of equal importance

is

In conclusions: In signposting your conclusion, you might use similar verbs as you have in the introduction and body, but you would normally use the past perfect tense (sometimes in the passive form). For example:
This essay has focused on three factors affecting... It has been established that Each has been considered from the viewpoints of

Martin Hampton email: academicskills@port.ac.uk www.port.ac.uk/ask WA17: 08/10

DCQE
Department for Curriculum and Quality Enhancement